


for you, i'd give up the sun

by xinteng



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mythology, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Light Angst, M/M, Merry Christmas, Mythology - Freeform, baekxing my children i love them, god!yixing and mortal prince!baekhyun, honestly most of it is fluff, someone stop me from writing angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 12:01:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21968995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xinteng/pseuds/xinteng
Summary: Still though, Yixing has promised Baekhyun that he will always return, and he does, though Baekhyun never knows how long it will be before he sees him again. But a god’s word is heavily heard, and Baekhyun knows Yixing to be a god of honor. And so he waits, and trusts, andlongs.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Zhang Yi Xing | Lay
Comments: 8
Kudos: 30





	for you, i'd give up the sun

**Author's Note:**

> so... surprise! it is me with (finally) another baekxing fic... this one was inspired completely by [this](https://twitter.com/staryxz/status/1209904599148060672) and baekxing in real life going shopping together at tiffany's on christmas day
> 
> anyways,, please enjoy

_Who do you want to be_ , Baekhyun had been asked once, when he had been too young to really understand, little hands clasped tightly in front of him as he kneeled on the marbled floor in front of his father. _I want to be a good king_ , he had answered diligently, the way his tutors had taught him to speak, bold, with intent. His father had smiled, then, and raised a hand to beckon him forwards, tipping his chin up when he was close enough to look right in his eyes. _Then pay your respects to the gods, son, and they will be kind enough to show favor upon you._

The bed dips behind him, and Baekhyun turns to face him, his heart racing, for he knows who has slipped in. “Yixing,” he breathes, and runs his eyes up his familiar figure, the lean arms, the sharp jaw, the aristocratic tilt of his nose. The deep dimple in the soft of his right cheek that reveals itself when he’s eating or smiling or talking, and the left, rarer seen but no less precious. He’s dressed in a tunic embroidered with thread in a shade of gold Baekhyun knows doesn’t exist in the mortal world, the splendor of the sun imprinted across his chest the way Baekhyun imagines light to burst from it when Yixing reveals his true form.

The god doesn’t speak, only watches Baekhyun carefully, brings a delicate hand to his face, cupping it tenderly before traveling up to thread his fingers through his hair. Baekhyun shudders when his fingernails catch along his scalp.

“I missed you,” he admits reluctantly, and the words feel like honey on his tongue, heavy but syrupy sweet.

The god hums, still watching Baekhyun with that same heavy gaze, and he can take it no longer—shifting closer, he closes the scant distance between them— _finally,_ he thinks—and takes, and takes, and _takes._

❈

Baekhyun is no stranger to splendor—the prosperity of Sparta is reflected in its image, in the strength of its men, the fertility of the earth, the grandness of the temples devoted to the gods—and yet, when Yixing takes him in his chariot drawn by swans of the purest white to his sacred lands where no mortal has ever set foot, he is awestruck by the sheer beauty of it all. It’s not simply the scenery, it’s the _feeling_ of the land, the crisp air around him, the knowledge that he is the only one to experience this, that Yixing has chosen _him_ to bear witness to such a hallowed ground. It’s easy, to get drunk on this kind of power—the kind that comes from the love of a god. Not for the first time, Baekhyun remembers how other mortals have been raised by the gods, only to crash and fall when they soar too far. _I want to be a good king_ , he remembers, and touches his lips as if he is young again, speaking those words for the first time to his father.

“Do you like it?” Yixing asks, smiling down at Baekhyun, and he nods, reverent. “I’ve never brought anyone here before,” he says, confirming his suspicions. “The others would be furious if they knew,” he laughs slightly and pulls Baekhyun closer to him, pressing his lips against the top of his head, breathing him in. By others, Baekhyun assumes he means the other gods, and he shudders to think of what they would say, that Yixing has brought him, a mere mortal, to this sacred space.

As if Yixing can read his mind, he speaks again. “But for you, my prince, I would do anything to see that look upon your face once more.”

Baekhyun smiles, giddy with happiness, and his heart soars.

❈

Baekhyun thinks he’ll always remember the moment he first set eyes on a god. It had been a hot day, unreasonable even for the midst of summer, and he had just competed in the races with twenty other boys, some princes from other provinces, others, lesser lords. His feet ached, but pleasantly so, sweat beading along his hairline and running down his back, staining his tunic dark. He had glimpsed a hint of a smile upon his father’s face as he had bowed before the dais, waiting for the laurel grasped in his hands to be placed upon his head in victory. The cheering of the crowds had faded to a dull roar as feet stepped up carefully to him, and as Baekhyun had stared patiently at the dirt beneath. Gently, the crown of leaves had been placed on his head, and hands smoothed the unruly hair behind his ears. “Rise, Baekhyun of Sparta,” a voice called, and he startled at the unfamiliar timbre of the voice, melodious where his father’s was not, strong and unwavering.

Baekhyun had looked up, and locked eyes with a god.

“My lord,” he drops back down immediately into a bow, not daring to look at the god directly.

Fingers tip his chin up regardless. _Yixing_ , Baekhyun thinks, _the god of light, healing, and music._

“Baekhyun of Sparta,” the god, Yixing, repeats, and his gaze is fond, tinged with amusement. “You have done well today. You honor Sparta and your family’s name.”

He flushes, bowing once more. “It is thanks to your patronage and blessing, my lord. We will be sure to throw a feast in your name.”

“I have heard stories about you,” Yixing says, and when he smiles, it’s like the day grows brighter, the faint sheen on his skin gleaming. “I am pleased to discover that they hold true.” Unknowing what to say, Baekhyun bites his tongue and stays silent. Beautiful is not the word to describe the god in front of him—he is, of course, beautiful, but to confine him into something so small, so limited, seems wrong to him. Yixing, as a god, is everything and nothing at once. Baekhyun’s about to speak again, agitated by the silence, when the god steps back slightly and cocks his head, as if listening for something. “The others call for me,” he smiles cheekily, “but perhaps we may meet again.”

Baekhyun thinks it sounds like a promise.

❈

Sometimes Yixing stays for weeks at a time, binds himself to Baekhyun as if he would fade away if he doesn’t. He steals away in the mornings when it is time for him to drive his chariot across the earth, waking up the mortals and bringing daylight into their midst, slipping quietly back into bed with Baekhyun to coil around him like he, instead, is the sun, and Yixing the mortal that serves him.

They spend long afternoons together, climbing mountains and picking wild berries along the way, Yixing laughing at Baekhyun’s purple stained mouth. In return, Baekhyun tangles them together, kisses him breathless until Yixing’s own mouth is smudged violet when he pulls away. Yixing likes to play with Baekhyun’s hair and run his fingers along his skin, which has begun to turn golden, quite literally sun-kissed, linking and unlinking their hands together as they lay in the sweet-smelling grass, fat bees dripping with honey buzzing by. Some days Yixing brings out his lyre and sings songs that Baekhyun has never heard before.

Those are the good days.

Then there are days—weeks, when Yixing will not come at all, and Baekhyun wakes up early, even before Yixing has driven his chariot across the sky. It’s like his body knows that Yixing is close by, for though he tries to sleep later, he finds he cannot.

Those days, he stands out on his balcony and leans against the balustrade, looking upwards to where he knows Yixing will appear from the horizon, burning in his godly form to bring light and heat to his people. Though he knows it is beyond selfish of him, a mere mortal, to want a god to relinquish his duties, he always wishes dearly for Yixing to stop as he passes by, and yet he never does, driving right past him until Baekhyun can see him no longer.

Those are the bad days.

Still though, Yixing has promised Baekhyun that he will always return, and he does, though Baekhyun never knows how long it will be before he sees him again. But a god’s word is heavily heard, and Baekhyun knows Yixing to be a god of honor. And so he waits, and trusts, and _longs_.

❈

It’s one of the good days—Baekhyun had woken up with the god’s name on his lips, a pleased sigh that rivalled the smirk on Yixing’s face as he pressed a sweet kiss to his mouth. They had gotten dressed quietly, Yixing hand feeding him some of the grapes from the terracotta bowl left by the servants the night before, taking turns sipping wine from the same chalice before heading out into the field, where Yixing had promised to teach Baekhyun the discus.

He’s watching the flight of Yixing’s discus when a shadow passes overhead, darkly ominous clouds sweeping in and covering the sunlight. Instantly, Baekhyun feels cold, and he glances at Yixing, who is frowning up at the sky as if he can hear someone talking to him. The sky rumbles and groans, and Yixing looks furious, beginning to glow brighter as he struggles to keep his godly form contained. Just when Baekhyun is about to step closer to him, thunder roars and he manages a panicked, “Yixing,” before everything turns white and he feels his entire body _burning._

He’s dying, he knows.

How foolish of him, to think he could ever love a god. How foolish of him, to think he could go unpunished for his pride.

 _I wanted to be a good king_ , is his last thought, and yet, he regrets nothing.

❈

He wakes to fingers threading delicately through his hair, slightly strange and yet familiar all at once. A specter, he thinks. A ghost, conjured by his traitorous mind to torment him in Tartarus for the crime of loving a god.

It’s a struggle to open his eyes, but when he does, everything snaps into focus sharply, and Yixing’s face stares back at him, startled, an emotion Baekhyun has never seen before on his face. “What?” is the most eloquent thing his mind can come up with in his state of shock, and relief rushes through his system when Yixing smiles at that, both of his dimples appearing. “I was dead. I am dead,” he continues.

Yixing shakes his head, still smiling, though Baekhyun notices it now has an edge to it. “No, you’re very much alive.” He picks up his hand and presses his fingers to the inside of Baekhyun’s wrist before bringing Baekhyun’s other hand to let him feel for himself. His blood pulses, steady and warm beneath his fingertips.

“But how?” he asks. “My string was cut by the Fates. I was destined to die.”

Yixing looks tired now, giving him a half shrug in response. “The Fates can mend strings that have been cut,” he explains. When Baekhyun continues to stare at him blankly, he continues. “For a price.”

Dread bubbles in his stomach. He cannot imagine the price paid for such a deed, to alter someone’s fate so drastically. 

He’s not sure he wants to know, but he asks anyways. “And what was the price?”

There’s a pause, as Yixing seems to struggle with whether or not he wants to answer the question, almost like it _pains_ him to say it.

“My divinity,” he finally says.

The words hang in the air, heavy in its weight.

Baekhyun is horrified. “Yixing,” is the only thing he can say, and his name is tinged with sorrow. Yixing, the god of the sun, the god of music and healing. Yixing, the god of nothing. Yixing, the mortal. Guilt rises up in his stomach and Baekhyun tastes bile.

“I tried to save you,” Yixing finally says, when the silence stretches too long and Baekhyun is still blinking away tears of nausea. “I used all my powers, all my knowledge, I even gave you ambrosia, and still. Still you wouldn’t wake. I thought to myself, _what use are my powers, if I cannot even save the one I care about the most_? And so I made a deal with the Fates.” He shrugs again. “I find it a small price to pay.”

When Baekhyun peers closely at the former god, however, he sees the truth and the pain behind the words. Behind all that still, however, is relief, and love shining back at him. For the first time in his life, Baekhyun finds the gods cruel, cruel for punishing a mortal who dared to love a god, and a god, who dared to love a mortal.

Yixing stands, and his hand which had still been interlaced with Baekhyun’s, falls away. His fingers are cold without his touch. “I will take my leave now,” he bows, for the first time, to the prince. “I have only brought you pain, and to you now, I am nothing. Not a god, not even a mortal with a name.”

Panic makes a home in Baekhyun’s chest and he grabs Yixing’s hand wildly as he turns to leave. “Please,” he says, desperately, and he watches as something like hope flickers to life in Yixing’s eyes.

“Please, stay.”

**Author's Note:**

> COMMENT BELOW IF YOU KNOW WHICH MYTH THIS IS BASED OFF OF
> 
> i feel like i had more to say in the notes while i was writing this fic but now that i'm here writing the notes i have nothing to say??  
> also i've realized my writing style when it comes to exo fic is me just gushing over yixing's dimples  
> i deviated a bit from the myth i drew insp from (mostly bc the myth ended in tragedy, as most god/mortal love stories do) but it's still _mostly_ the same  
> this fic is just.. a mess lowkey but let's not talk about it  
> as usual, unedited etc etc you know the drill
> 
> i'm rambling too much so i'll stop and say merry christmas to everyone who celebrates and happy holidays!! i hope you enjoyed this little present :)
> 
> come have a meltdown with me over baekxing:  
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/staryxz)
> 
> [tumblr](https://dimpledliar.tumblr.com)
> 
> [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/yixingzhang)


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